Harahan Police arrested a New Orleans father Tuesday and booked him with child desertion after he allegedly left his daughters, ages 2 and 4, alone in a vehicle that contained drugs. The children's mother will also face charges, according to Harahan Police Chief Mac Dickinson, who said the couple's youngest girl appeared to suffer a seizure while they were away.

JPSOAndres Viera

The girls were left in a parked vehicle in the 1400 block of Hickory Avenue in Harahan just before 4 p.m., Dickinson said. The 4-year-old girl got out of the car and began knocking on doors to look for her parents.

A concerned resident who spotted the girl flagged down an off-duty Jefferson Parish deputy sheriff to help. The deputy then located the car and the second child, who was suffering from an undisclosed illness and had a feeding tube, according to Dickinson.

"When he looked in the car, it appeared as if she as having a seizure," he said.

Paramedics were called and the girl was taken to a local hospital where she was found to be well-nourished and in good condition. Both girls were released to relatives, Dickinson said.

The deputy was at the car for more than 15 minutes before the girls' parents, Andres Viera, 29, and Yvonne Laughney, 20, returned, Dickinson said. The couple told investigators they were looking for an apartment to rent and had left the children there. Officers searched the vehicle and found about an ounce of marijuana, Dickinson said.

In addition to child desertion, Viera, of 1224 S. Salcedo St., New Orleans, was booked Tuesday at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center in Gretna with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and illegal use of drugs in the presence of a minor. No bond has been set.

Laughney was allowed to accompany her daughter to the hospital, but Dickinson said she will also be booked in connection with the case.

"Parents should be reminded never to leave their children unsupervised and alone," he said.